Indecent Exposure

I arrived in Budapest with nothing but a tiny backpack filled with a few days worth of clothes and my laptop. Unfortunately, my choice of clothes did not include a bathing suit. When I left Switzerland, I had no idea I would be going to a city known for its baths, but, hey, such is life. The two must-do things in Budapest, I was told, were to go to a show in the Opera House and to go to the Baths. Aileen and I went to the Opera House for a short ballet (which was incredibly enjoyable) and required nothing out of the ordinary as far as attire. But the Baths... well, the Baths were different. After searching the hostel high and low, I was told that no bathing suits had been left behind, but they thought I could rent one once I got to the Baths. A flashy nude-colored one-piece with a deeeeeep scoop neck and high arches over the leg. I could think of nothing less flattering. Another option was to wear all black underwear - with bathing suits as they are these days, who would be able to tell? Alas, however, I decided on my fourth and final option - to stop somewhere and buy an inexpensive bathing suit. We headed in the direction of the tram station, not seeing the bathing suit store we were told about. This was rather unfortunate, because it meant that instead of a clothing store, we ended up in the sketchiest of lingerie shops tucked into a corner of the tram station. We walked in and were greeted with a shiny black pleather suit with three holes cut into it... in three strategic spots... hanging proudly for all to see. Right next to the pearl g-strings, I found a selection of about fifteen bikinis, ranging in tacky patterns and loud colors. I narrowed my choices down based on what had the chance of covering most of what I wanted covered (this was not a shop that wanted to cover much up) and after a quick spin through the dressing room, I emerged, less-than proudly, with a neon orange and brown string bikini with tiny sparkly flowers. It was hideous and cost me 3500 HUF - about $15 - but they let me into the Baths and I wasn't even the worst dressed person there. Lucky for me (and anyone who had to see me in my suit) it was dusk, so my neon orange wasn't quite as flashy as in the sunlight. So yet another lesson has been learned: from now on I'm taking my bathing suit everywhere I go. You just never know when you'll need one.